Anarchist squatters pictured in a property in Buckingham Gate, Central London, overlooking Buckingham Palace which they were occupying in February 2017

What are squatters' rights?

Squatting is when someone deliberately enters property without permission and lives there or intends to live there, according to the government's website.

It is sometimes known as ‘adverse possession’ and is illegal in residential buildings with the potential for a six-month prison sentence and/or a £5,000 fine.

You're not a squatter if you enter a property with the permission of the landlord and are renting and have fallen behind with payments.

Squatting in non-residential properties isn't a crime.

It is a crime to damage the property, fly-tip, steal from the property, use utilities without consent and not abide by a noise abatement notice.

The website states it is a "usually a crime" not to leave land or property when you're instructed to by the owner, the police, the council or due to a repossession order.

How long do you have to stay in a house before you own it?

A long-term squatter can become the registered owner of a property or land they've occupied without the owner's permission.

To do so they would have to prove they have occupied the property for 10 years without the owner's permission - 12 years if it's not registered with HM Land Registry - and that they have acted as owners of the property for the whole of that time.

The squatters would have to fill in a form for adverse possession, complete with a statement of truth prepared with a solicitor, which will be decided by HM Land Registry.

The owner has 65 days to object and if they do, the application is normally automatically rejected.

They could apply again in two years if the property hasn't been reclaimed and they're still in possession of the property - and the owner hasn't tried to remove them.

Squatters and homelessness campaigners took over a £15 million mansion owned by a Russian billionaire in Eaton Square, London, in January. It's one of Britain's most expensive and exclusive streets.

Can squatters be evicted?

You can remove squatters using an interim possession order (IPO) or by making a claim for possession.

You could, however, be committing a crime if you try to remove the squatters yourself using force or threatening force.

An application for an IPO can be made within 28 days of having learned the property has been taken over. The relevant local county court will send confirmation of your IPO within days and documents you must give the squatters.

After being served an IPO, squatters must leave your property within 24 hours and stay away for 12 months.

Has there been recent examples of squatting?

Dozens partied for 15 hours from midnight on Saturday May 20 through to the following afternoon inside and on the roof of the 300-year-old mansion, which is located yards from Hackney Town Hall in east London.